Planing my build

[FinnHallqvist]

Hello everyone.

I'm planning to buy a new computer since last summer

My current specs aren't that good:

Athlon 64 x2 4400+

ATI 2400

2GB of Ram

256GB HDD

(It's 5 years old what did you expect?:)

My new specs could be:

FX 8350

Asus 7970 Matrix Platinum

8GB of RAM (Kingston Beast)

1TB HDD (WD1002FAEX)

128 SSD Samsung Pro

Asus Crosshair V Formula

Arctic Cooling Freezer 13

Be Quiet Straight Power 580W

Coolermaster HAF XM (without window)

And Windows 8 as an OS

What do you think of it? What should I keep and what should I change?

[cafe]

I would change the amd cpu to a 2500k

change the cooler to the hyper 212

you could prolly do better with the 300r (looks better too) case

If you want I would think of getting a 650W to prevent having to upgrade that when you do upgrade or crossfirex your gpu

I guess the mobo is fine but you could get the MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 and save some cash

parts I mentioned in this post:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($213.79 @ Amazon)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)

Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)

Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)

[cafe]

I bet this hard drive is cheaper also

and will do just as much

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)

[RailfanS]

What are you planing on using the computer for. For just gaming the 2500K will give you a slight edge, with half as many threads. This doesn't matter to much for gaming because most games use 4 or less threads anyways. The 8350 will work great for multitasking and running high thread count apps (video editing, photo editing, and other content creation programs).

The cooler master hyper 212 appears to be a similar design to the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 at half the price, making it a great choice.

Corsair power supply's are awesome, I would definitely recommend them. Consider a higher wattage one though, especilly if you go with the amd cpu (trust me overclocked FX 8xxx chips are power hungry, not to mention that 7970) This one looks nice TX750 V2 (69.99 after promo and rebate @ Newegg) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021

The case is your preference, but keep airflow in mind.

Overall, I think it looks good

[Jack Wignall]

The changes I would make have already been mentioned in the above post.

My changes would be the following

1. Replace the FX 8350 - An Intel i5 for gaming or an i7 for intense programs

2. Replace the AMD motherboard for one with an Intel socket - Anything with the right socket will do fine but for more money you spend, the more features and apps will be included.

3. Replace the PSU with a Corsair 650w - Corsair have amazing power supplies, a 650w is enough for your build including extreme overclocks.

4. Replace the case with the Corsair 300R - The build quality of this case is great and has plenty of room for your components at a great price.

I hope this helps, looks like you'll be building a decent rig!

[GeTecknics]

Instead of the the normal CHV get the new one the crosshair v formula z if you wanna stay amd i have the old one and its not as good as some other boards out there. the cooler should be a hyper 212 but if you want better air cooling any zalman cnps is good or you can go all out like i did and put in an h100i of course get new fans with it the stock fans are not great the AP 121 air penetrators are good to and so are noctua nf f12s also if you wanna be a little bit different get the haf xb yea its kinda weird but the portability i get is awesome just a suggestion

[TheDarkKnight_91]

I agree with everyone saying to go with an i5. If there's a microcenter near you a 3570k is only $170 or 3770k is $230. And either Asus P8Z77 or Asus Sabertooth motherboard. Not sure about the cpu cooler. Everything else looks good.

[hunchback]

I agree with the other people. Here is what i would do if i where you.

CPU: 2500K http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i52500k or 3570kK http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53570k Keep in mind that the 3570k (ivy bridge) when overclocked tend to run at a higher temp. And some people say you cant reach as high an overclock.

Motherboard: Pretty much any asus p8z77 motherboard would be fine. The reason i recommend the z77 is because i have the z68 and the marvel sata and 3rd party USB 3 are nasty, They have some major problems. But for a budget z77 board this is what i would get http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vle or for a higher end one i would go for this one http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vpro

CPU Cooler: I would get a h100 or h100i or even the h80i or h80 because Linus recently tested them and prooved that they are basically the same to the h100 and less money. (i think its this video

) If you don’t have the money for either of those and you arnt going to do any overclocking then just use the stock cooler. There is a cheaper but still good CPU cooler out there that a lot of people recommend; i just can recall it off the top of my head....

RAM: .Pretty much anything, Low latency is better. I prefer Gskill, Corsair, Mushkin, and patriot all are good.

Video card: Depending on your budget go for like 680, 690, 660, etc im not very knowledgeable on video cards, so if someone could recommend something that would be great.

SSD: Depending on your budget i would recommend a kingston hyperx 3k (non 3k are a little slower) You can catch them on sale for pretty cheap) Or a intel 830, and if you have the money a samsung 840, Intel 840, or a OCZ vector. I run two kingston hyperx 3k in raid 0, They are absolutely amazing.

All of these are available on NCIX and im not going to provide links because i dont know what size you want.

HDD: If you can afford you a SSD or need a DATA drive. Pretty much any HDD will work but i like the Western digital blacks. They aren’t to expensive but they are great drives.

1TB: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=50895&vpn=WD1002FAEX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD

2TB: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58376&vpn=WD2002FAEX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD

PSU: I like corsair for all my PSU. If you watch the sales on newegg and NCIX you can pick one up for dirt cheap. I would recommend something 600w or higher for this type of build.

[Dr3nz4r]

If I would build a new PC i would go for some Intel i5 3570K.. currently I'm using AMD 1090T and i always had a AMD CPU but since i started Gaming I've noticed that the Intel CPU's are waaay better for Gaming then those AMD ones.. Although the i5 3570K not that much more expensive then some 8350.

[fencingdude101]

What's your budget, first of all? Also, what are you using it for?

In terms of changing around parts, a lot of people are suggesting Intel CPUs. If you were to get an AMD for gaming, there's no reason to go with an 8-core 4GHz beast like that.

The AMD FX-4100 seems like a better choice, quad core at 3.6GHz (~$105), no real need for more just for gaming.

If you wanted to go Intel, the 2500k/3570k would work very well (Whichever one you can find cheaper), however both are in the more expensive low-$200 range.

AMD gaming machines a great bang for the buck, as CPU performance is not a critical as GPU for gaming. If you're doing anything other than gaming though (rendering, editing) go with Intel.

Any reason for the hard drive? Again, if this PC is just for gaming, there's no real need for a 1TB drive. Just get a 256GB SSD (For the Samgung 840 Pro, ~$250) instead of the HDD.

If it is for video editing or something, however, defiantly keep the hard drive. Just remember you'll need software for video editing or anything else!

For the cooler, upgrade to a Noctua cooler, much better fans and cooling solution IMO, unless you want to get a closed water cooling loop (Which I don't think is the case)

The NH-D14 (~$80) is a great cooler.

The biggest problem I see is your power supply. If you chose the 8350 (A 125W TDP CPU) and the 7970, you would overload the PSU pretty easily with overclocking and extras.

Depending on your budget, you'll be looking at a PSU range from 750W-1000W or so. For a cheaper power supply with less wattage headroom, try the Corsair AX760/AX860 (~$200).

The Silverstone ST1000-P (~$190) or XFX ProSeries P1-1000-BELX(~$225) are great 1000W PSUs in both the low and mid price points.

Again, it really depends on what you want to do with this machine you're building. I may even suggest to switch to a Corsair case or something, but that is more personal preference. Let me know what your budget is, and what you're using it for, I can try and help out further.

[cafe]

What's your budget' date=' first of all? Also, what are you using it for? In terms of changing around parts, a lot of people are suggesting Intel CPUs. If you were to get an AMD for gaming, there's no reason to go with an 8-core 4GHz beast like that. The AMD FX-4100 seems like a better choice, quad core at 3.6GHz (~$105), no real need for more just for gaming. If you wanted to go Intel, the 2500k/3570k would work very well (Whichever one you can find cheaper), however both are in the more expensive low-$200 range. AMD gaming machines a great bang for the buck, as CPU performance is not a critical as GPU for gaming. If you're doing anything other than gaming though (rendering, editing) go with Intel. Any reason for the hard drive? Again, if this PC is just for gaming, there's no real need for a 1TB drive. Just get a 256GB SSD (For the Samgung 840 Pro, ~$250) instead of the HDD. If it is for video editing or something, however, defiantly keep the hard drive. Just remember you'll need software for video editing or anything else! For the cooler, upgrade to a Noctua cooler, much better fans and cooling solution IMO, unless you want to get a closed water cooling loop (Which I don't think is the case) The NH-D14 (~$80) is a great cooler. The biggest problem I see is your power supply. If you chose the 8350 (A 125W TDP CPU) and the 7970, you would overload the PSU pretty easily with overclocking and extras. Depending on your budget, you'll be looking at a PSU range from 750W-1000W or so. For a cheaper power supply with less wattage headroom, try the Corsair AX760/AX860 (~$200). The Silverstone ST1000-P (~$190) or XFX ProSeries P1-1000-BELX(~$225) are great 1000W PSUs in both the low and mid price points. Again, it really depends on what you want to do with this machine you're building. I may even suggest to switch to a Corsair case or something, but that is more personal preference. Let me know what your budget is, and what you're using it for, I can try and help out further. [/quote']

The part about the cpu in gaming is very untrue man

it has been proven that the 2500k high higher clocks per core then any amd cpu

Intel is worth the money for all

amd and cpu's do not mix

amd gpu's are awesome though

[Money]

Maybe you should back off the 7970 until the new 8xxx cards come out. And perhaps consider an upgrade to a 3770k.

[Ghost]

The part about the cpu in gaming is very untrue man it has been proven that the 2500k high higher clocks per core then any amd cpu Intel is worth the money for all amd and cpu's do not mix amd gpu's are awesome though

Amd CPU's are good. Their just not as good as Intels for gaming. They can destory any intel CPU in a multithreaded application (extreme editions ignored).

[Oradian]

I agree with everyone else. In my opinion:

CPU: i5 3570k because is has way better features than Sandy Bridge.

CPU Cooler: Well it really depends if you want to overclock or not. If you do, I would recommend a H100i or H80i for liquid cooling kits, OR, a Noctua NHD14. I also heard be quiet! products are very good but I don't think NCIX sells them yet. I don't like the look of the Noctua products but they perform well.... If you are not interested in OC, than I would get a hyper 212. I currently have it and I am very happy about it. Although most coolers are pretty good.

GPU: Nvidia and AMD are both very great brands. I find NVIDIA way better at 3D gaming and AMD for Multi-Display. Both brands support Multi-Display but I find NVIDIA 3D gaming way better. I currently have a 7870 Hawk right now and I am very happy about it. The lowest model of graphic cards I would recommend is GTX 660ti or a 7870. I would get GTX 670 or 7970 but those are very expensive I find and for the money, I found a 7870 just perfect. If you dont mind the money, I would get anything above GTX 670 or 7950.

RAM: All is good, would recommend 8gb (2 x 4gb)

SSD: Strongly recommend Samsung 840 series. I would also recommend getting a 120gb. I currently have Kingston Hyper 3k 120gb but I am planning on getting something from Samsung current line of SSD.

HDD: All is good, Would recommend Seagate or Western Digital,

PSU: First determine how much wattage you would want. I would recommend AT LEAST 750 W and 850W to be Safe. Anything Higher I find is if you want Triple GPU OC. OCZ, Corsair, XFX, Antec, Be Quiet, are all very good brands. For what you posted, I would get at least 650w and would recommend 850W for the future.

Case: I would say get a case that you like looking at, look at the price, and then look at the features.

In your build, I would highly recommend changing your CPU, your PSU, and ya....

[Oradian]

What's your budget' date=' first of all? Also, what are you using it for? In terms of changing around parts, a lot of people are suggesting Intel CPUs. If you were to get an AMD for gaming, there's no reason to go with an 8-core 4GHz beast like that. The AMD FX-4100 seems like a better choice, quad core at 3.6GHz (~$105), no real need for more just for gaming. If you wanted to go Intel, the 2500k/3570k would work very well (Whichever one you can find cheaper), however both are in the more expensive low-$200 range. AMD gaming machines a great bang for the buck, as CPU performance is not a critical as GPU for gaming. If you're doing anything other than gaming though (rendering, editing) go with Intel. Any reason for the hard drive? Again, if this PC is just for gaming, there's no real need for a 1TB drive. Just get a 256GB SSD (For the Samgung 840 Pro, ~$250) instead of the HDD. If it is for video editing or something, however, defiantly keep the hard drive. Just remember you'll need software for video editing or anything else! For the cooler, upgrade to a Noctua cooler, much better fans and cooling solution IMO, unless you want to get a closed water cooling loop (Which I don't think is the case) The NH-D14 (~$80) is a great cooler. The biggest problem I see is your power supply. If you chose the 8350 (A 125W TDP CPU) and the 7970, you would overload the PSU pretty easily with overclocking and extras. Depending on your budget, you'll be looking at a PSU range from 750W-1000W or so. For a cheaper power supply with less wattage headroom, try the Corsair AX760/AX860 (~$200). The Silverstone ST1000-P (~$190) or XFX ProSeries P1-1000-BELX(~$225) are great 1000W PSUs in both the low and mid price points. Again, it really depends on what you want to do with this machine you're building. I may even suggest to switch to a Corsair case or something, but that is more personal preference. Let me know what your budget is, and what you're using it for, I can try and help out further. [/quote']

I strongly disagree man, CPU will eventually bottleneck your CPU especially that low. For gaming, I would only recommend i5 3570k, eventually, the AMD FX-4100 will STRONGLY HOLD BACK your gaming performance. if you want to do rendering, i7 3770k and above is great. And SSD are still very expensive compared to HDD. 256gb is NOT ENOUGH for gaming, Games are very big these days. Especially if you are saving movies onto your computer. You really need an HDD for storage. Noctua coolers are very good but they look very bad in my opinion.

[FinnHallqvist]

Hello again

If I would update the list according to your information I would choose these parts:

For a CPU I would buy the 3570K if I change it.

For a motherboard I would choose the ASUS Sabertooth Z77 or a Z77A-G45 from MSI.

I would keep the WD harddrive because I like them more than Seagate harddrives.

The SSD would be the same.

I keep the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 because here in Germany its about 15 dollar cheaper than the CM Hyper 212. I won't do much overclocking with it. As a high end aircooling solution I would buy the Bequiet Dark Rock 2 but I won't need it. If I would buy a water cooling kit I would buy the NZXT X60 or X40 or an H100i but I don't need water cooling.

I will think about buying a 300R but I would rather take a 400R if I would buy a case from Corsair or what I mentioned before.

I have one question left: What makes Corsair power supplies so great?

@fencingdude101 My budget is 1400 Euro and that's 1850 dollar. I'm using it for gaming, 'normal' work and in my freetime for physic calculation (but not that intensive that I need an i7).

The reason for the harddrive is because I have alot of games and other files and I want a 'physical' drive for my PC too rather than just one SSD.

I don't like the design of Noctua fans although they perform very well.

I think it's enough if I buy a 680-700 watt power supply because the grafic card can take 525 watt and the cpu, if I take the 8350, around 125 and more.

[Oradian]

What makes Corsair power supplies so great?

They don't manufacture power supplys, I think Seasonic makes it for them. I just find them reliable, The only reason I would go for them is for their features, and flexibility but otherwise, I find them just a reliable as XFX or Antec or OCZ. I have heard be quiet power supplies are very good but never touched them yet because they dont sell them at NCIX or Newegg.

[RailfanS]

Corsair power supplies have an overall solid build quality. They use better quality components than generic or economy PSU manufactures. That's not to say all other brands are junk, some other reputable brands include Antec, OCZ, Seasonic, and lots of others I can't think of right now. Actually, after doing some research it appears that Be Quiet is a decent brand as well. You'll be fine with a 680-700 watt power supply as long as you don't plan on adding a second 7970 in the future.

As far as the CPU goes if you're stepping up to a 3570K, I would consider a 3770K. That way you get Hyper-threading, which pretty much doubles the core count of the 3570K.

[MrWizard]

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